Chapter 9 - THE SHADOW OF THE PAST
Grace reached into the hollow cavity, her fingers brushing against the cold, vacuum-sealed plastic packet.
Jack’s hand instantly shot out, his thick fingers catching her wrist in a firm, protective grip.
"Don't touch it, Grace," Jack warned, his gray eyes burning with an intense, deadly seriousness. "Once you open that seal, you aren't just James Thornton's daughter anymore. You become part of something that took down three flag officers and buried four team members."
Grace did not pull her wrist away. She looked down at his grip, then raised her eyes to meet his gaze with total, unflinching Marine discipline.
"My father gave me this rifle, Master Chief," Grace said, her voice dropping into an absolute, unyielding tone. "He knew I would eventually bring it to a range. He knew someone would recognize it. He left this for me."
Jack stared at her for five long seconds, searching her face for any sign of fear, hesitation, or weakness. He saw none. In her brown eyes, he saw the exact same stubborn, unbreakable resolve that had defined Colonel James Thornton throughout his entire life.
Slowly, Jack released her wrist.
"If we do this," Jack said in a low, gravelly rasp, "we do it away from the range cameras. We do it in the armory vault."
"Agreed," Grace replied smoothly.
Jack carefully slid the vacuum-sealed packet back into the hollow cavity, placed the steel buttplate back over the heel of the stock, and re-inserted the two heavy screws, tightening them just enough to hold the plate securely in place.
He picked up the rifle, slid it carefully back into Grace's battered canvas case, and pulled the zipper closed with a sharp, definitive slide.
Across the range, the young SEAL Instructor peered out from behind the door of the briefing room, watching the two of them with deep, uneasy curiosity.
May you like
Jack stood up to his full height, slinging the canvas rifle case over his broad shoulder. He looked down at Grace, his face setting into a hard, protective mask.
"Follow me, Captain," Jack ordered quietly. "It's time you learned what your father was really doing twenty years ago."
